James Browne - Honour Clayton

The Browne family England orginally spelled the name Browne but in coming to America and joining the Society of Friends dropped the "e" for simplicity and have since written the name as Brown.

James Brown, as he came to spell the name, was born in the parish of Sywell, Northamptonshire, England, March 27, 1656 and died at Nottingham, Pennsylvania in 1716.

James Brown came to America in the ship "Kent" which arrived from London August 16, 1677, at New Castle on the Delaware. He settled first at Burlington, New Jersey, but remained only a short time there removing to Chichester of Marcus Hook in 1678. He obtained a patent, dated Dec 20, 1683 for 115 acres of land on the Chichester Creek, which he named "Podington" undoubtedly for his old home "Puddington" in England. With his brother, William he purchased nine hundred acres of the land William Penn granted to the Friends in Nottingham and they became known as the Browns of Nottingham and from these early ancestors are desscended many well known men. In 1681 there were but eleven heads of Quaker families in the country before the arrival of William Penn, and among them was James Brown.

James Brown married at the Burlington Meetinghouse June 8, 1679 Honour Clayton, daughter of Hon. William Clayton. They had six children; James, William, Jeremiah, Margery, Daniel and Mary.

©2002 by Joan Case
Last updated on Sunday, November 10, 2002